Book picks similar to
Crossings by Leonard Chang


contemporary
fiction-general-adult
immigration
koreana-fiction

Dangerous Lies: Sawyer and Amethyst (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book Two): Clean and wholesome small town romance


Christine Kersey - 2016
    Then a handsome stranger moves in next door. Wanting him to feel welcome in Emerald Falls, she attempts to befriend him. But when he is less than friendly, she becomes more determined to get to know him.Sawyer Cooke is in hiding. Wanting to remain as anonymous as possible, when his gorgeous red-headed neighbor stops by with a plate of cookies and a welcoming smile, it takes all of his will-power to turn her away. When she doesn't give up, he finds he enjoys her company much more than is safe. To keep his secret from being discovered--and to keep his enemies from finding him--he's forced to lie to Amethyst about all aspects of his life.Will a relationship built on lies destroy them both, or keep them safe from those who would do them harm?

Stone Investigations: The Complete Series


Harper Maguire - 2019
    When Tucker’s fiancée goes missing a week before their wedding, Zoe has her own ideas as to why the trailer-park-queen disappeared, but she keeps those opinions to herself… That is until she hires Stone Investigations, and Greg Stone specifically, to hunt down the missing woman. Greg Stone is determined to find the missing fiancée before anything bad happens to her. But Zoe keeps getting in his way, and before long, he sees her as more than the overly intelligent, know-it-all lawyer who hired him. Greg begins to see Zoe as his perfect match. Part 2 Jennifer Langdon is a workaholic G.P. who lives in a beach-side bungalow and enjoys the lazy rhythm of Harper’s Bay when she isn’t giving flu shots or trying to figure out the source of her patients’ odd rashes. She comes from a big family, and family is important to her, but somehow she’s never managed to meet the right man to settle down with and start a family of her own. The baby bug has bit her, though. She wants one and because of it, she jumps at the chance to babysit her two-year old niece any time the occasion arises, which is often. But one day when she’s babysitting and checks her cell phone while her niece is playing on the beach side playground, that’s all the time it takes for the little girl to disappear into thin air. Part 3 Cara loves her father more than anyone in the world. She runs Fancy’s, the best seafood restaurant in Harper’s Bay, and while her father owns the place, he gives her free reign and full control, breezing in only for dinner each night in his crisply tailored suits. But one night when Cara’s father doesn’t show up for his steak and merlot dinner as always, she instantly knows something is terribly wrong. And soon her budding relationship with Tom shifts away from romantic flirtation and into the mysterious territory of trying to figure out what happened to Joseph “Fat Joe” Conway. Part 4 Professional surfer, April Chase has traveled the world from Hawaii to Indonesia. Along the way, she developed a close friendship with fellow surfer, Bethany Waterbury, who falls in love with the next town they arrive at to compete—Harper’s Bay. But the night before the big surfing competition, Bethany goes missing. The media flies into a frenzy and soon people start to suspect that April had something to do with it in an attempt to ‘knock out the competition’. Nothing could be further from the truth, which is why April needs the help of Stone Investigations and William specifically to help find her missing friend. Part 5 Matthew Stone has always been a loner, but a lone man would be nothing without man’s best friend, and Matt’s best friend is Rudy, a Rottweiler whose bark is far worse than his bite. Rudy has never bitten anyone and Matt knows he wouldn’t, but he’s been getting dirty looks and a complaint or two about Rudy’s daytime whining. He’s never thought to hire a dog walker, but when he does, he quickly discovers that there’s at least one woman in Harper’s Bay who isn’t afraid of his intimidating dog. Could it be a sign? Meanwhile, Hurricane Jane presses in on Harper’s Bay and the brothers of Stone Investigations work tirelessly to close in on Abigail Gardner’s real killer, but what Greg, Luke, Tom, Will, and Matt discover is far more disturbing than any of them could’ve ever imagined.

Ride or Die


Solomon Jones - 2004
    Handsome, ambitious Jamal-a street-savvy crack dealer-is the son of North Philly's most notorious drug kingpin. A history of violence and betrayal lies between their fathers, who are now bitter enemies. After one of his church members is gunned down-with a bullet he is sure is meant for him-Pastor Anderson goes after Frank Nichols, determined to drive him from the neighborhood for good. There's just one problem: Keisha and Jamal are in love.When the families face off on opposite sides of an anti-drug demonstration, a high-ranking police official is killed in the crossfire, and Jamal becomes the prime suspect in the murder. Keisha is left with a choice. Will she stay with her father, in the confines of the sheltered world she's known, or will she venture into the unknown in order to help Jamal clear his name? She chooses Jamal, and in a whirlwind flight across the seamy underside of Philadelphia, Keisha will risk everything for love. Even her life.

The Last Story of Mina Lee


Nancy Jooyoun Kim - 2020
    It's a mystery to twenty-six-year-old Margot, until she visits her childhood apartment in Koreatown, LA, and finds that her mother has suspiciously died. The discovery sends Margot digging through the past, unraveling the tenuous invisible strings that held together her single mother's life as a Korean War orphan and an undocumented immigrant, only to realize how little she truly knew about her mother.Interwoven with Margot's present-day search is Mina's story of her first year in Los Angeles as she navigates the promises and perils of the American myth of reinvention. While she's barely earning a living by stocking shelves at a Korean grocery store, the last thing Mina ever expects is to fall in love. But that love story sets in motion a series of events that have consequences for years to come, leading up to the truth of what happened the night of her death.

The Shield of Darius


Allen Kent - 2012
    Ben’s senses send him reeling into his own past; to a place both exhilarating and terrifying. As Sager struggles to determine where he is and why he and his cellmate are being held, Christopher Falen, a covert agent of the CIA offshoot, Unit 1, uncovers a disturbing pattern of unexplained American tourist disappearances, seemingly vanishing without a trace.Two paths cross as Falen’s investigation and Sager’s desperate will to survive draw them both into the deadly web of the Shield of Darius. A timely and relevant thriller, The Shield of Darius takes the reader on a journey through the maze of international espionage and politics between the United States and the Middle East and poses the question: Who can be trusted?

Firefly Diaries


C.C. Warrens - 2021
    Noelle sat motionless in the street, barely able to breathe. His little body was too still. Too broken."Noelle's world shattered that night, like the pieces of headlights scattered across the dark street. There was no rebuilding her life around the grave of her child.Adrift in her grief, Noelle finds herself drawn to an old house as rundown and weary as her spirit. She might not be able to mend her own brokenness, but maybe she can restore this abandoned structure to its former beauty. Determined, she throws herself into a renovation project with the unexpected help of a local. But she soon learns that her new home comes with a blood-stained history and a chilling reputation.When she stumbles across a diary written by a child with a disturbing life, and a teenage girl vanishes from the village, clues leave Noelle wondering if her house might somehow be connected. Someone -- or something -- wants her gone, but she has no intention of leaving without discovering the truth.

The Mystery at Chadwick House


Kate Parker - 2019
    All of that can be explained. An attraction to an enigma can't.Adam Chadwick is the biggest puzzle of all. He's a stranger in town, and he won't tell Emma about his past. Is he behind the attacks at the old Victorian mansion? Or is something more sinister happening?

Stay Mad, Sweetheart


Heleen Kist - 2019
    AN EVEN FINER LINE BETWEEN JUSTICE AND REVENGE.Data scientist Laura prefers the company of her books to the real world – let alone that cesspit online. But when her best friend Emily becomes the victim of horrific cyberbullying, she makes it her all-engulfing mission to track down the worst culprits.Petite corporate financier Suki is about to outshine the stupid boys at her firm: she’s leading the acquisition of Edinburgh’s most exciting start-up. If only she could get its brilliant, but distracted, co-founder Laura to engage.Event planner Claire is left to salvage the start-up's annual conference after her colleague Emily fails to return to work. She’s determined to get a promotion out of it, but her boss isn’t playing ball.As the women's paths intertwine, the insidious discrimination they each face comes to light. Emboldened by Emily’s tragic experience, they join forces to plot the downfall of all those who've wronged them.But with emotions running high, will the punishments fit the crimes?A pacy and suspenseful novel with its feet firmly in the #MeToo era. 9 to 5 meets Suits with a dash of Black Mirror.

Random Acts of Unkindness


Jacqueline Ward - 2016
    Her fifteen year old son, Aiden, is missing. Jan draws together the threads of missing person cases spanning fifty years and finds tragic connections and unsolved questions.Bessy Swain, an elderly woman that Jan finds dead on her search for Aiden, and whose own son, Thomas, was also missing, may have the answers.Jan uses Bessy's information and her own skills and instinct to track down the missing boys. But is it too late for Aiden?Set in the North West of England, with the notorious Saddleworth Moor as a backdrop, Random Acts of Unkindness is a story about motherhood, love and loss and how families of missing people suffer the consequences of major crimes involving their loved ones.Random Acts of Unkindness is the first in the DS Jan Pearce series of novels.

Translations of Beauty


Mia Yun - 2004
    At the heart of the narrative -- told from Yunah's intimate, engaging point of view -- is an unforgettable event from their childhood: an accident that disfigured Inah for life, and the overwhelming sadness and guilt Yunah feels at having been spared. Now that Inah and Yunah are adults, each in search of her own identity while trying to remain true to traditional family values, they must find a way to negotiate their past and become the people they dare -- and dream -- to be. Emotionally charged and thought-provoking, Translations of Beauty is an insightful saga of the immigrant experience that will resonate with all readers.

The Newman Resident


Charles Swift - 2014
    Dr. Newman is at the leading edge of creating the perfect educational environment for children, and all he requires is a hefty tuition—and your child at the age of six months.Christopher Carson is one of the “Newman Residents” who live at the Newman Home year-round. His parents, Richard and Carol, both Manhattan attorneys, may disagree about the specifics, but each wants what’s best for their son. For Richard, this means bringing Christopher, now six years old, home for one last summer vacation before the visits become brief and infrequent.Carol agrees with the staff: Christopher should stay at the school. And Christopher is confused, not sure where his real home is anymore. But Richard would like for their house to be Christopher’s home, at least for one summer.As Richard and Christopher spend more time together they become closer. Not long into Christopher’s visit, Richard begins to suspect that the Newman Home’s methods for developing their children into future leaders are too experimental, if not outright dangerous. His suspicions are confirmed when a secretive support group of Newman parents reaches out to him about their frightening experiences with the school.Richard’s investigations into the Newman Home quickly spiral out of control; he has underestimated the extent of the school’s power and connections—and Dr. Newman’s incessant drive to achieve a new level of success for the students. But what Dr. Newman underestimates may be even more powerful: one father’s determination to fight for his son against the odds.What follows in The Newman Resident is a whirlwind battle between a devoted father and an education system more terrifyingly powerful than he ever could have imagined. It’s a battle that forces him to confront how some will cross any line in order to create the “perfect” child.

The Last Conquistador


Michael Elias - 2013
    Child abductions are being reported throughout Peru, and when an American boy is snatched in Lima, FBI agent Adam Palma is assigned to the case.At the home of a manic artist who was the sole survivor of similar kidnappings in 1962, Adam is shown a disturbing mural depicting the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro. In the painting, the conquistador's face looks exactly like his own. Adam teams up with Nina, and with the help of a mysterious boy named Quiso, their investigation takes them deep into the Amazon jungle in search for a lost city of the Incas, where the ancient sacrificial rituals may still be alive. As Quiso leads Nina and Adam close to the city and its secrets, Adam realizes that the only way to save the kidnapped children is to make the past repeat itself. Adam, like his distant ancestor Pizarro, must square off against an Inca high priest.

Rawlings


Ally Summers - 2019
    Hikers are missing. Shifters' bodies are turning up. And a precious shifter artifact has been stolen from the local library. Hunter's Lake used to be a quiet place to live, but now it doesn't feel safe. Bear shifter, Beau Rawlings has never had a case so hard to crack. Especially since he can’t get the main suspect, who happens to be the new girl in town, out of his head. Jessa Langdon is ready for a new life in Hunter’s Lake. Leaving her world behind in Denver, she takes a job at a local library for a fresh start. But her first shift ends in a burglary and she's way too attracted to the cop who shows up to help. Rawlings and Jessa have to focus on the case, to prove her innocence and catch a killer. But you don't get to choose when you fall in love, and they're about to find out what happens when the rules are broken. They just hope their hearts aren't broken too. The small town of Hunter's Lake has always been a refuge for shifters, until now. The Undercover Shifter unit must fight against the clock to save the town they love, and the people in it. Get ready for mates, drama, and murder in the new Undercover Shifter Series.

Killer Doctors


Colin Evans - 2000
    Some do. In Killer Doctors, the dark side of the men in white is revealed.

Naked Sleeper


Sigrid Nunez - 1996
    To do whatever is the work before her, letting nothing distract her, expecting nothing, fearing nothing -- the way of the Stoics -- this is her ideal. But despite all her stratagems, this ideal constantly eludes her. Life is too unpredictable, her sense of self too fragile and human relationships are too tenuous. She muddles along, a victim of her own anxieties and resentments, her behavior often as mystifying to herself as it is to others. Why though, happily married, does she fly across the country to pursue a man she hardly knows, whom she intuitively mistrusts and does not even much care for? In the aftermath of this calamity, Nona separates from her husband and undergoes a period of intense self-examination. Meanwhile, she struggles to complete a book about her father, a painter, who died when she was a child. Out of both projects -- her work of introspection and her work of memory -- arise thorny questions about love, identity and destiny. Unexpected support appears in the form of one of her father's old lovers, whom Nona now meets for the first time. But while this new friendship thrives, relations between Nona and her husband, and between Nona and her mother, with whom she shares an anguished history, seem to be coming apart. Nona has barely achieved a somewhat surer sense of herself and her way in the world when a series of grave, unforeseeable events threaten her precarious equilibrium.Compelling, emotionally charged and written with the psychological precision and exquisite detail that are among the hallmarks of Nunez's work, "Naked Sleeper" is aboutinescapable and sometimes unendurable complexities of love and the family drama. It is the story of a woman's search for self-knowledge, for understanding of others and for an answer to the imperative question: "How should she live?"